The present invention relates to firearms and, more particularly, to a means for adjustably attaching a fore stock to a firearm.
It is common practice, in the design and construction of "long guns," i.e. rifles and shotguns, to include a fore arm or fore stock under at least the portion o the barrel or barrels adjacent the breech or breeches. In "break action" firearms, those having a hinged connection between the receiver and the barrel or barrels, to permit access to the chamber or chambers, the fore stock is necessarily separate from the shoulder stock. In such cases, the fore stock is frequently attached to the barrel or barrels and abuts the receiver at the hinge point. Attachment is generally accomplished by means of a spring-loaded tongue, disposed in a keyhole recess in the fore stock, which engages a notched lug depending from the barrel or barrels. The fore stock attachment means, as described, is seen to suffer several inherent limitations.
Over a period of time, the spring tends to develop a permanent set, whereby the tongue is no longer firmly urged into the lug notch. This permits an undesirable degree of movement or "play" between the fore stock and the barrel or barrels.
Further, repeated assembly and disassembly of the fore stock to the barrel or barrels tends to cause a wearing of the lug about the lower lip of the notch, enlarging the effective size of the notch and introducing further "play". Although this particular problem may be corrected by periodic replacement of the lug, such replacement is costly and inconvenient due to the fact that the lug is most commonly brazed to the barrel or barrels, whereby replacement requires the services of a skilled gunsmith.
Lastly, and most importantly, the present attachment means makes no provision for the adjustment of the axial position of the fore stock relative to the remainder of the firearm. Thus, precise and costly dimensional tolerances must be maintained, during manufacture, to insure proper mating of the fore stock and the receiver.